Aircraft wheels roll into Lehigh Valley for repairs

Walnutport resident Jim Takacs, a NDT inspector at MBD Wheel and Brake Repair and Services, works on a wheel for a Airbus A321 operated by Spirit Airlines.

Walnutport resident Jim Takacs, a NDT inspector at MBD Wheel and Brake Repair and Services, works on a wheel for a Airbus A321 operated by Spirit Airlines. (JON HARRIS, THE MORNING CALL)

Jon HarrisOf The Morning Call

MBD, unveiled Tuesday, already off the ground in Lower Nazareth

Wheels and brakes off airliners are now rolling into Lower Nazareth Township for three- to five-day service stops at the Lehigh Valley's newest international company.

MBD Wheel and Brake Repair and Services, a subsidiary of French aircraft and rocket engine company Safran, opened a 25,000-square-foot facility earlier this year in the Lower Nazareth Commercial Park. The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. announced the company's arrival on Tuesday, in coordination with the group's international tour, which ends June 5 and includes stops in Germany, France and England.

Kevin Frey, site manager of MBD's Lower Nazareth plant, said the company employs nine people, all of whom were hired locally. He said MBD plans to have 25 local employees in 12-18 months.

"Right now, it's kind of a progression to get to that point as we bring on more contracts," said Frey, adding that MBD is looking to hire a non-destructive testing (NDT) inspector and could fill two general labor positions in the next couple of months.

MBD is starting a contract with JetBlue, a deal that calls for the company to service the airline's entire fleet of Airbus A320 and A321. While MBD also has locations in Milwaukee, Wis., and Miami, Fla., Frey said 75 percent of the work for JetBlue will run through the Lower Nazareth plant due to its proximity to New York City, where JetBlue is headquartered.

On Wednesday, MBD received a shipment of Airbus A320 wheels from JetBlue.

In addition to JetBlue, MBD services equipment for several other airlines, including Virgin America, Virgin Australia, Spirit Airlines and Omni Air International.

Most of the equipment shipped to MBD weighs hundreds of pounds. For example, Frey on Wednesday weighed a finished A321 main wheel for JetBlue. It weighed nearly 430 pounds.

"They're pretty heavy," Jim Takacs, a NDT inspector at MBD, said as he went through wheel-mounting for an A321 operated by Spirit Airlines.

To get its operation off the ground in Lower Nazareth, MBD late last year gutted and retrofitted the building at 181 Mikron Road, the former location of CMSP USA, which specialized in sheet metal pressing.

New wiring, a sprinkler system and fresh paint were added. The building was also outfitted with half-ton cranes, LED lighting and NDT machines that cost more than $100,000 a pop, Frey said.

Despite the work needed on the facility, the Lehigh Valley's proximity to major airports in New York City, Philadelphia and Baltimore made it an attractive place for MBD to set up shop, Frey said.

"You can be in all of those locations within a couple hours, which works great for the airlines because there are situations where they need a quick turn or they need extra product and we're close by that we can handle that volume and get it back to them quickly so they can keep flying," he said.

With that location-based strategy in mind, Frey said MBD is considering opening additional shops in Henderson, Nev., the state of Washington and central Texas.